Reston in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Train Wrecks

By Craig Swain, November 19, 2009

1. Train Wrecks Marker

Inscription. Accidents happened on the Washington & Old Dominion. Mishaps resulted from washouts of the roadbed, loose rails, rotting ties, or from livestock wandering across the tracks. Crew negligence also played a part.

One of the earliest and most serious accidents occurred in Round Hill, Virginia. On Christmas Day 1874, an engine in the process of being turned around fell off the turntable and crushed a crewman.

Perhaps the most dangerous situation arose from dozens of at-grade street crossings. Despite automatic warning signals and train whistles, automobile drivers often could not resist the temptation to outrun what looked like slow-moving trains.

In 1952 on Shirley Highway (I-395), a dump truck loaded with asphalt failed to brake in time and hit a westbound locomotive. The engine was plunged into an embankment, freight cars were derailed, and several people were injured. The driver of the truck was killed.

, in Fairfax County. Marker is on Old Reston Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Click for map. Located at the Sunset Hills Station trail stop. Marker is in this post office area: Reston VA 20190, United States of America.

More about this marker. This marker is duplicated at different points along the trail. A smaller inset photograph shows "A W&OD train crosses Shirley Highway (I-395) at Shirlington in 1868." The background photo of the accident from 1952 is captioned, "A fatal accident at the same location in 1952. The hazards of road crossings were a major reason for the abandonment of the railroad."

Also see . . . W & OD Railroad. A detailed listing of the stations along the W & OD. (Submitted on December 3, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Credits. This page originally submitted on , by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,866 times since then and 144 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on , by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2, 3. submitted on , by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016.